A novel fluorescent probe for ascorbic acid based on seed-mediated growth of silver nanoparticles quenching of carbon dots fluorescence.

A novel, economic, and eco-friendly method of detecting ascorbic acid (AA) with excellent sensitivity was developed. The method took advantage of the fluorescence of carbon quantum dots (CDs) decreasing as the AA concentration increased through interactions between AA and Ag(I) in the presence of silver nanoparticle (AgNP) seeds, producing more AgNPs and allowing fluorescence resonance energy transfer between the AgNPs and the CDs. The change in the fluorescence intensity when AA was added was proportional to the AA concentration over the range 0-9.0 μM. The AA detection limit was 0.2 μM. This approach is a new method for determining the concentration of AA.